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Andrew Pratt Buchan
SOCIETY NEWS-OBITUARY
Andrew Pratt Buchan A number of work colleagues write: It was with shock and a great sense of loss that we heard of the sudden death of Andrew Buchan on 28 February this year at the age of 31. Andy was a forensic scientist at the Home Office Forensic Science Laboratory, Wetherby, West Yorkshire. Apart from a break of about nine months, he spent his entire working career, some ten years, in the Biology Division of the Laboratory. There he is remembered for his dedication and professional approach to his work, both within the laboratory and outside. The quality of Andy's work was extremely high; indeed, his endeavours to obtain the best possible scientific evidence would often bring about conflict between himself and the constraints which management imposed. Whether he was examining a scene in the early hours of the morning, or carrying out a meticulous search of clothing for trace materials on a Sunday afternoon, one was always grateful for Andy's immediate response to the request for assistance. His efforts and production of high class work were much appreciated by his colleagues and the investigating police officers. Andy was a man of strong opinions which were well founded and only arrived at after much deliberation. He was also a man with a sense of humour, much appreciated by his friends and colleagues. For all his forthright views and comments, Andy cared deeply about the future of the Forensic Science Service and especially about junior staff who worked with him. He did all he could to encourage them in their work and careers. His natural organisational skills were not only put to good use in the laboratory; he spent a lot of his spare time in the Territorial Army, where he served both in the infantry and the intelligence corps. Andy died suddenly; the manner and speed of his going is a great shock. When a person in their early 30s is taken from us, in the prime of life, at a time when he had made a fine reputation as a scientist and soldier, then perhaps we all should take stock of our own lives. He will be greatly missed.
0 Forensic Science Society 1988
Andrew Pratt Buchan A number of work colleagues write: It was with shock and a great sense of loss that we heard of the sudden death of Andrew Buchan on 28 February this year at the age of 31. Andy was a forensic scientist at the Home Office Forensic Science Laboratory, Wetherby, West Yorkshire. Apart from a break of about nine months, he spent his entire working career, some ten years, in the Biology Division of the Laboratory. There he is remembered for his dedication and professional approach to his work, both within the laboratory and outside. The quality of Andy's work was extremely high; indeed, his endeavours to obtain the best possible scientific evidence would often bring about conflict between himself and the constraints which management imposed. Whether he was examining a scene in the early hours of the morning, or carrying out a meticulous search of clothing for trace materials on a Sunday afternoon, one was always grateful for Andy's immediate response to the request for assistance. His efforts and production of high class work were much appreciated by his colleagues and the investigating police officers. Andy was a man of strong opinions which were well founded and only arrived at after much deliberation. He was also a man with a sense of humour, much appreciated by his friends and colleagues. For all his forthright views and comments, Andy cared deeply about the future of the Forensic Science Service and especially about junior staff who worked with him. He did all he could to encourage them in their work and careers. His natural organisational skills were not only put to good use in the laboratory; he spent a lot of his spare time in the Territorial Army, where he served both in the infantry and the intelligence corps. Andy died suddenly; the manner and speed of his going is a great shock. When a person in their early 30s is taken from us, in the prime of life, at a time when he had made a fine reputation as a scientist and soldier, then perhaps we all should take stock of our own lives. He will be greatly missed.
0 Forensic Science Society 1988